Helitech International 2014 Preview

By By Marc Holloran | October 1, 2014

Helitech International 2014, organized by Reed Exhibitions and run in association with the European Helicopter Association, will take place for the first time in Amsterdam at the RAI Convention Centre from Oct. 14 to 16. Amsterdam is an ideal location with exceptional links to Europe and farther afield, reinforcing the once again strong international dimension of the event. Exhibitors from more than 20 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and 13 European nations, have been attracted already, illustrating the truly global footprint of Helitech International. To date, more than 40 companies from North America have confirmed their participation, of which eight from the U.S. will be making their maiden appearances in Amsterdam. There are currently more than 55 first-time exhibitors from nine countries around the world such as Genesys Aerosystems, ITT Enidine and BAE Systems.

Education Program

Exhibitors at Helitech 2013.
Photo by Andrew Drwiega

Helitech International 2014 will present an extensive education program across three days of Europe’s largest helicopter show. The inaugural day will feature the Business and Strategy Conference, which will be followed by the EHA Rotorcraft Seminars and the Safety Workshop on the second and third days, respectively.

“The education program taking place at Helitech International offers the only real forum for the entire rotorcraft community to engage in discussing the key issues impacting our industry,” said Vittorio Morassi, chairman of the European Helicopter Association. “It will be my pleasure to welcome delegates at the opening of the EHA Rotorcraft Seminars on Wednesday, and I believe industry will be impressed with the overall range of topics to be discussed during the three days at this year’s event.”

The Business and Strategy Conference will open with an Industry Leaders Forum. Delivered by industry experts, this forum will explore the future opportunities and challenges for the European rotorcraft sector. The high calibre of speakers set to attend this year include Jonathan Bailiff, president of Bristow Group; Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus Helicopters; Robert Dranitzke, managing director for Milestone Aviation; Keven Baines, director at Baines Simmons; and Chris Seymour, head of market analysis with Ascend Flightglobal Consultancy. Their involvement is indicative of Helitech International’s place at the forefront of the rotary wing annual calendar. Such a distinguished group of speakers revealing their personal insights and opinions provides an outstanding forum for attendees and delegates to learn about the industry and the key issues within it.

The afternoon will address the future opportunities and challenges for the European rotorcraft sector, new frontiers in unmanned aerial operations, growth in aerial fire-fighting services across Europe and will conclude with a panel discussion looking at the evolving helicopter emergency operations in Eastern Europe.

On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the EHA will be running a series of informative seminars. The theme for the second day of the education program will be rulemaking, and will open with a welcome from Morassi. After his address, Morassi will then hand the stage over to Norbert Lohl, certification director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), who will give the keynote address.

The agenda will then move on to look at subjects including EASA rulemaking – the impact on rotorcraft operations, and a roundtable discussion on SESAR – what’s in it for rotorcraft? The afternoon agenda will then switch to look at the age-60 rule, unmanned aerial vehicles, flight time limitations, Annex 14, and aerial fire fighting across Southern Europe.

On the final day of the education program the Safety Workshop. The European Helicopter Safety Implementation Team (EHSIT) will launch guidelines aimed at improving the safety of helicopter operations with a focus on the smaller operator. These will provide pilots with a basic understanding of the causes, prevention and recovery actions of accidents, thereby enabling pilots to make better, more informed decisions.

USA Pavilion Debut

Helitech International is pleased to be hosting a USA Pavilion for the first time this year. This new feature, presented in partnership with the U.S. Commercial Service, offers participating exhibitors an ideal platform to showcase their products and technologies to an international market and brings visitors the opportunity to meet with companies that have not previously sold outside the U.S.

Tradewind International LLC, Diagnostic Solutions International LLC, Heli-Mart Inc, AeroComputers Inc, Lord Corporation and StandardAero will all be exhibiting in the USA Pavilion and are excited about the prospect.

Kyle Brown, marketing coordinator at Heli-Mart Inc., said, “We [Heli-Mart] found the opportunity to exhibit in the USA Pavilion highly desirable due to the inexpensive and accessible nature provided by Helitech International 2014. As a company that deals with a worldwide audience, we continually look for opportunities to reach new customers, as well as existing clients. At Heli-Mart, we pride ourselves on an exceptional ability to provide support for our customers. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase the personal touch we provide, by meeting face-to-face with new customers.”

Heli-Mart Inc distributes new and serviceable helicopter parts, accessories and components worldwide. They have an on-shelf inventory of more than $28 million in parts for any helicopter, including MD Helicopter, Bell Helicopter, Airbus Helicopters and Schweizer.

Tradewind International LLC specializes in the resale of aircraft parts to light and medium turbine helicopter operators. “Tradewind International LLC is attending Helitech International for the first time, and we are excited to be an exhibitor at Europe’s largest helicopter show,” said Tom Huismann, director of business development at Tradewind. “Earlier this year we were approached by the Helitech International team about the all-inclusive, first-time exhibitor package promotion on the USA Pavilion. As a small company with a limited promotional budget, this all-inclusive option appealed to us. This is our first international show as an exhibitor, and we are in a prime location. We are truly an international company—from sourcing our inventory, to serving the operators of light and medium turbines around the world. Attending Helitech International gives us a perfect opportunity to increase our name recognition, meet face-to-face with our European clients, establish new relationships, and create new opportunities for purchasing parts, accessories, complete inventories, and airframes.”

Airbus to Showcase Operational EC145 T2

Another key development ahead of Helitech International 2014 is that Airbus Helicopters has recently confirmed it will have on its stand an operational EC145 T2 helicopter. The EC145 T2 is a twin-engine, four-ton-class, multi-role helicopter that was first presented in 2011. It is the latest addition to Airbus Helicopters’ BK117/EC145 family, which is designed and built in Donauwörth, and has enjoyed decades of success. Its improved performance and particular suitability for air rescue missions sets the EC145 T2 apart from earlier models in the BK117/EC145 family. Among the new features are Turbomeca Arriel-2E engines with dual-channel full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) and a Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, along with upgraded main and new tail rotor gearboxes. The cockpit uses the Helionix digital avionics suite with four-axis autopilot that was developed by Airbus Helicopters. Its outstanding hover performance – even in single-engine situations (one engine inoperative) – is crucial for flight safety, especially for air rescue missions.

This announcement is a timely boost for the October event as the EC145 T2 represents the cutting edge of rotary innovation. Airbus Helicopters recently concluded the successful handover of the first EC145 T2 to DRF Luftrettung. In spring 2014, the latest addition to the family received certification from EASA and is now ready to take on a wide variety of missions.

For more information on Helitech International, visit www.helitechevents.com